About the Tour

Introduction

The 49th Franklin Westrek will be held in Fortuna, Humboldt County, California, June 24-29, 2018, and co-hosted by Bill and Jan Charpier and Jim and Kathy Ryan, all of Orangevale, CA. Fortuna is in northwest California, about 120 miles from the border with Oregon. This area is near Humboldt Redwood State Park which features wonderful examples of Coastal Redwoods along The Avenue of the Giants. The area that is now within the Park was the site of logging of the lofty ancient redwoods in the early 1900's. The Save the Redwoods League was founded in 1918 with the goal of rescuing areas of primeval forest from destruction. From the acquisition of a single grove in 1921, the League has raised millions of dollars to build and expand this park. Today Humboldt Redwood State Park spans 53,000 acres of which about one third is old-growth redwood forest. This area represents the largest expanse of ancient redwoods remaining on earth.

​This Westrek will not only provide you with a chance to view some of the area’s magnificent forests, but will give you a look at many other attractions of this diverse county. A variety of activities are scheduled which the whole family can enjoy. In addition to the Avenue of the Giants, we are planning to tour with our Franklins to the Victorian City of Ferndale, a private automobile collection, wildlife areas, the Artisan Cheese Factory in Loleta, a mill works using period tools, and other interesting places.

Featured Car

The featured Franklin automobile for this year’s event is the 1931 Sport Salon. The Sport Salon was a low production model and it was produced only for the 1931 model year. The following is an excerpt from an article written by the late Don Reddaway about his Sport Salon and published in the C.C.C.A. Pacific Northwest Regions’s Bumper Guardian. “…The biggest surprise was that the car turned out to be one of only nine such cars that are known to have survived. In fact only 36 of this particular 1931 model were built to begin with. Designed by Dietrich Inc. and built by the Walker Body Co., Franklin called this five-passenger sedan body a Sport Salon. It was available only on the long-wheelbase version of the Series 15 Transcontinent (Model 152) primarily used for seven-passenger bodies.” The base price for the Sport Salon was $2,595.

Registration

Registration will be on Sunday from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM and the reception with hors d’oeuvres will be from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. These activities will take place in the Riverwalk RV Park’s Community Room. This room in the main building as you enter the RV Park and it is in the front corner nearest the adjacent Best Western County Inn. Please enter the Community Room by way of one of the two exterior doors as the entrance from inside the main building will be locked. If you are not registered to stay, please do not park your vehicle in the in the RV Park as there is limited parking that is reserved for their guests. The Community Room is a very short walk from the Best Western Country Inn. At Registration, you will be given name tags, a welcome bag, a tour book, a supplemental tour book and a list of restaurants that are providing discounts to Westrek members who show their name tag. We have several first time attendees this year and the name tags will have their names and where they are from in brown. Please give them a warm Westrek welcome.

Daily Tour Highlights

This Franklin Westrek includes five full days of touring. The following information will give attendees a glimpse of what is in store for each day of touring.

General Information

Everyone is welcome to dress in period costume on the tour, but it is not required. Many ladies enjoy dressing vintage for the tea, or at least wearing an appropriate hat. The banquet is a more dressy affair vintage or otherwise. Again, period costume is not required, but certainly enjoyed to be seen.

Lunch is provided each day, Monday is at the Samoa Cookhouse, Tuesday is box lunches, Wednesday is a buffet lunch, Thursday is lunch at the Ladies Tea and at the Tech Session and Friday is lunch at the Carson Mansion. The banquet will be on Thursday evening, and the remaining dinners are on your own.

Remember to bring a cooler with you. Water will be available each day and you will be given box lunches on Tuesday before leaving for the day’s tour.

The longest mileage tour day is about 75 miles; the shortest mileage tour day is about 20 miles. Routes vary from flat to hilly with mild grades; however, there are several steep slopes up and down which are, fortunately, short in length. Most of the driving will be on county roads, but there are short stretches of 4-lane highway or freeway where no alternative is available. (At least in this area traffic is lighter than large cities.)

Monday

Our first day of touring will take us north to Eureka and Samoa.

Humboldt Botanical GardensOrganized in 1991, the Gardens include plants from an area bounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Rogue River in Oregon, the north shore of San Francisco Bay and a north/south line generally following Interstate 5. Among the themed areas included in the Gardens are native grasslands, a Douglas fir reserve, an ornamental terrace garden and a Mediterranean allée.

Sequoia Park Forest

Sequoia Park sits on land that was donated to the City of Eureka in 1894 as the last large stand of redwood trees in the City. Although some logging did occur, a portion of the original 40 acres of old-growth forest is still standing in the park gulch areas and we will take a drive through it.

Samoa

We will be having lunch at the Samoa Cookhouse. When you walk through their door, you will take a step back into the early days of the lumber and logging industry. This landmark eatery is reportedly the last surviving cookhouse in the West and still serves all meals "lumber camp" style as it has since 1890. Food is brought to the table in large bowls and platters, allowing you to help yourself and pass it around. The Cookhouse also has a museum full of relics and photographs from the old logging and cookhouse days. Before or after lunch, you can take a short walk next door to the Humboldt Bay Maritime Museum which has preserved artifacts, photographs and other material covering the maritime heritage of the Humboldt Bay region.

Private Automobile Collection

We have arranged for a tour of a private automobile collection in Eureka. This “world-class assortment of fine automobiles” is the result of one man’s lifelong passion. You will get to see many fine examples of brass and nickel era cars including Franklins!

Tuesday

Tuesday will be spent touring through spectacular redwoods located along the Avenue of the Giants.

Chapman’s Gem & Mineral Shop

As we leave Fortuna we will stop at Chapman’s Gem & Mineral Shop. The Chapmans have traveled to all 50 States and every continent to acquire this vast collection of gems and minerals housed in the shop and museum. You will be able to see gems, a petrified palm display, precious stones, Native American and pre-Columbian artifacts, fossilized animal and plant life and a display of meteorite samples.

Town of Scotia

As we continue towards the Avenue of the Giants, we will travel through the Town of Scotia which was a company town founded by the Pacific Lumber Company (PALCO) in 1863 to house workers for the logging and lumber industry. The town was entirely owned by PALCO until 2008. While traveling through town, you can stop at the Scotia Museum to view artifacts, photographs, and exhibits of the area including a Heisler locomotive and other equipment used in the logging operations. A short distance beyond the museum is the Fisheries Center which allows visitors to view various types of the area's native fish in a setting that is similar to their natural environment.

Avenue of the Giants

The Avenue of the Giants is the old U.S. Highway 101 that winds its way through numerous redwood groves. Along the way there are special trees, gift shops and places to stop and enjoy the setting. A variety of walks from easy, level and wheelchair accessible to more strenuous paths will afford the opportunity to get up close to these giants. The Avenue offers a Visitors Center and venues for snacks and knickknacks. Each driver can choose the places to visit and to enjoy their packed lunch.

Wednesday

This day we will visit two wildlife areas and the quaint Victorian Village of Ferndale.

Wildlife Areas

The first stop will be the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge which was established to conserve habitat for the great diversity of birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, invertebrates, and plants that occur in the Humboldt Bay area. The refuge includes mudflats, estuarine eelgrass meadows, salt marsh, brackish marsh, seasonally flooded freshwater wetlands, riparian wetlands, streams, coastal dunes, and forest supporting over 316 species of birds and 40 species of mammals. There is a visitors center and well-marked path for explorers. The second stop will be the Mike Thompson Wildlife Area. Here beachcombers can have access to a long beach on the sandy spit south of the entrance to Humboldt Bay near Eureka.

Ferndale

Ferndale is a small city which is located on the edge of a wide plain near the mouth of the Eel River and near extensive preserves of Coast Redwood forests. The city is noted for having dozens of well-preserved Victorian storefronts and homes. You can browse and shop in an eclectic mix of independently-owned stores including boutiques, specialty shops, artisan galleries, a blacksmith’s shop and an old-fashioned general store.

Thursday

The morning will include a short tour in Fortuna and to the nearby community of Loleta. The afternoon and evening are dedicated to activities at and near the Best Western Country Inn including the ladies tea, technical session, swap meet, and banquet.

Fortuna Depot MuseumThe Fortuna Depot Museum is housed in Fortuna’s historic train station which was constructed around 1889. Featured displays include railroad and logging artifacts, local Native American basketry, a general store display, a fishing collection and antique spark plugs.

Artisan Cheese Factory

We will be stopping at the Artisan Cheese Factory, formally known as the Loleta Cheese Factory, to check out their superior quality, all-natural, small batch, artisan cheeses. You can sample a wide variety of their cheeses and they are available for purchase.

Friday

Friday is the last day of touring, but it is a full day with lots to see and do.

Blue Ox MillworksAt the Blue Ox Millworks we will get a chance to see tools, craftsmanship and techniques of past centuries being utilized to produce authentic custom detail for homes and commercial buildings throughout the United States. Craftsmen use antique machinery from the 1800's and early 1900's to do the custom woodworking and restoration. In addition to woodworking, we may also see demonstrations of the ceramic and apothecary trades, blacksmithing, plaster working, book printing and book binding. Additional features of this complex include a logging skid camp with its cook shack, bunkhouse, and theater and a display of working animals.

Carson MansionWe are going to tour and have lunch in Eureka’s historic Carson Mansion! This elegant Queen Anne Victorian was constructed in the 1880s by William and Sarah Carson and it has been home to the Ingomar Club since 1950. It has been described as “the most grand Victorian home in America” and “a baronial castle in Redwood." This is one of Humboldt County's most prized treasures and the exterior is probably the most photographed site in the County. The Carson Mansion is not open to the general public, so being able to view the interior of this fabulous building and to dine there may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for most of us. You will not want to miss this!

Humboldt Bay Harbor CruiseSail aboard the Madaket on a 75-minute historically narrated cruise where we will learn some of the history of Humboldt Bay and Eureka's waterfront. Watch for seals, migratory birds, ships, boats, a lighthouse, an egret rookery, and the Fishermen's Memorial Statue as you gain a different perspective of the area. The Madaket is the last survivor of seven original ferries that transported mill workers and families around Humboldt Bay. It was built in 1909 and launched in 1910. She is the oldest vessel in continuous service in the United States, and she boasts the smallest licensed bar in California. There is limited space so this will be a first-come, first-serve option on Friday’s tour.

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